Intrepid Reporter
by RenkonNairu
Summary: Supey's had his 'Red-haired girl-next-door', its time for someone new. Kon/Tana
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own either Young Justice or its related characters. Such are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Intrepid Reporter

Chapter One:

He had asked to spend the weekend with Lois and Clark in Metropolis because he didn't want to go back to the Cave just yet. It was better if they both had some space –to adjust. It wouldn't have been fair to make M'gann make dinner for the guy who had just ripped her heart out, torn it to pieces, stomped on it at bit and then thrown every piece into a fire. Hm, that was rather melodramatic -not like him.

But the moment he had arrived at the Lane-Kent window, the Superboy paused. He sat on Sphere, hovering just outside while he watched Lois sitting on the couch, her laptop in her lap (working on a story, of course –she was always working), Clark stood behind the couch and, casually, bent down to press a kiss to the top of Lois' ear, then her neck, then her lips. The laptop was transferred from her lap to the coffee table and she turned around, sitting on her knees to wrapper her arms around her Husband of Steel. She leaned in close to his ear and the Superboy heard her whisper, "You know what I really want right now…?"

That was enough for the Kid.

Lois and Clark had been married for seven years, long before he ever showed up. Their displays of affection had never seemed to bother him before. But tonight… so soon after his own romance had ended (by his own hand, true, but an ending all the same)… it was a bit much for the young homo-kryptonian. He asked Sphere to deposit him on the roof instead of in their living room. He wouldn't disturb them. If he had bothered to keep listening (like the voyeur he was _not_) instead of giving them their share of privacy, he would have heard Lois finish by muttering, "…I want you… to finish making up the guestroom for the Kid."

The Superboy sat on the concrete railing that ran the perimeter of the building's roof, his legs dangling off the side, looking out over the city. It was this way that Clark found him a few minuets later.

"Hey, little brother, I thought I heard Sphere outside a bit ago." Clark hovered in the air in front of him wearing a pair of old sweatpants and a faded old Smallville Crows T-shirt. "I could have sworn we left the window unlocked. Why didn't you tap?"

"I just… I though, you and Lois…" He stammered sheepishly.

Clark gave a gentle half-smile of understanding. He hovered over to sit beside the Kid, also looking out over the city. There was a prolonged pause before Clark finally said, "I broke-up with my red-haired girl-next-door, too."

That one sentence conveyed so much more than any long pep-talk or optimistic speech ever could. M'gann M'orzz had been to the Superboy what Lana Lang had been to Clark Kent. His first love. His redheaded girl-next-door. The first relationship he'd ever had. The first relationship he'd ever ended. The first heart he ever broke. They sat in silence for long moments, neither saying anything, neither needing to say anything. Their quiet camaraderie only broken when the sounds of an SCU car-chase drifted to their ears and they both rushed off to attend to it –Clark changing from his 'lazy clothes' into his Superman uniform in the blink of an eye.

It wasn't until they returned, climbing in through the apartment window that the Kid spoke again. "I broke-up with her."

"I know."

The Superboy pulled off his commando boots and crossed the room in his socks to place the boots on the shoe rack by the front door. He arranged them neatly, then rearranged them, then arranged all the shoes there for no other reason than to have something to do with his hands. "I was the one who did the ending –me, I did it. So… why do I feel… this way?"

Clark heaved a sigh.

"Sit." He commanded, indicating the couch. The Kid did as he was told, flopping down on one of the center cushions, the one next to Clark's 'spot' (the end-cushion with his butt-imprint on it). Clark, meanwhile, ventured into the kitchen, pulled a bucket of ice cream out of the freezer, pulled two spoons out of the silverware drawer before taking up his seat. He passed a spoon to his 'little brother' before plunking the whole bucket down in the Kid's lap.

The Superboy looked at the giant ice cream pale. "Really?"

"Only way to get over a break-up." Clark supplied.

"I was the one who did the ending."

Clark made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Right now, that doesn't matter. The thing is, you've been with M'gann for four years. That's pretty much your whole life. It doesn't matter who did the ending, the point is you've lost something –something you have, quite literally, _always had_. You've lost something and you're mourning that loss. It's perfectly natural to feel the way you're feeling and you have every right to."

The Kid thought he should say something grateful like 'Thanks, Clark.' But the words wouldn't form in his throat. The man's statement had the bitter-sweet ring of truth and it was both a comfort and a depressant to hear. He had been with M'gann all his life. He was mourning the end of their relationship. He had every right to feel the way he was feeling. And yet… he had been the one to do the ending. Because of that, he felt a heavy weight of guilt settle over his shoulders, slither into his rib cage and coil itself tightly around his chest.

He dug into the ice cream with his spoon. The sweet, thick cream did sooth his feelings a bit. The Kid took another bite. Then another. After his fifth spoonful, the Superboy asked, "Was I right?"

Clark paused, considering his answer. Finally, he deflected. "Do _you_ think you were right?"

"Don't do that." The Superboy glared reproachfully at him. "Don't turn the question back on me. I asked _you_ for a reason." He took another bite of ice cream, let it melt on his tongue, then swallowed. "Please, Clark, you're the moral ruler I measure myself by."

For the first time since pulling it out of the freezer, Clark dug his own spoon into the ice cream and took one large scoop. "That's the problem, though. It's not a question of morality, at least, not directly. People are always hurt when they break-up, there's no avoiding that. The question then becomes, do they hurt less than they would have hurt in the long run if the relationship had continued." He licked the ice cream from his spoon before it could begin to melt. "Would _you_ have continued to be happy had you stayed with her?"

Superboy thought about M'gann, about M'gann _recently_ –about the woman she had become. How she was beginning to misuse her powers, how she appeared to be developing a schism between her 'on mission' personality and her 'at home' personality, how he looked at her sometimes and found himself wondering if he knew who she really was anymore and if he didn't, then _who was_ this new woman he woke-up with some mornings?

There had been one fleeting moment, after he'd spoken the words to end their relationship, that he had wondered –that he had _feared_- she might lash out with her power. That she might rip into his mind, tear his inner webs to shreds and render him catatonic –as she had done to Psimon, as she had done to dozens of other enemies over the years. She had become darker… less forgiving… more ruthless… (Ever since Gar's mother had passed away.) She was not the same woman he'd fallen in love with and he did not like the woman she had turned into.

"…No." He finally answered. "I wouldn't have been happy if we had stayed together."

"And if one of you wasn't happy, neither of you would have been." Clark nodded. "You both would have been trapped in a loveless relationship. Kon-El, _you did do the right thing_."

The Kid gave a weak, half-hearted smile. "Thanks, Clark."

They lapsed into another introspective silence. Setting the ice cream bucket between them and trying not to clink their spoons together, lest the sound –loud to _their_ ears- wake Lois whom had gone to bed while they had been out with the Metro SCU. It was when they had widdled the bucket down to half empty (or half full) that the Superboy spoke again.

"Maybe I should switch teams."

"You always have an open-invitation to join the League." Clark reminded him, eyeing the Kid quizzically. "But I wouldn't recommend leaving the Team just because of this. Sure, things will be a bit tense between you and M'gann for a while, but from what I understand it was a fairly civil break-up. You'll have a few months of awkwardness, but after a while you'll be friends again."

"No, I… I didn't mean leave the Team." The Kid back-peddled. "I'm happy there. It was slang. I guess I should know better than to try and use slang. Even after four years, I'm no good at it. I meant maybe I should quit dating girls and try for guys instead."

Clark raised an eyebrow, regarded him for a moment. Then said, "I'd say you were joking, but I don't think you know how."

"You're right. It was stupid. Forget I said anything."

Clark impaled the ice cream with his spoon and left it there. Placing a strong, comforting hand on the Kid's shoulder he said, "Listen, Kon-El, you're hurting right now and that makes you confused. You just made a huge change in your life and you're trying to adjust to that change. The truth is, you don't know what you want. You don't even know if you want anything at all. Instead of worrying about 'the next one' try figuring out who you are without a romantic partner. You've been with M'gann your whole life, why don't you give being by yourself a try for a change? Figure out who you are as an individual as opposed to half of a pair. Do you understand?"

He was a long time in answering. Then, "I think so…"

"Good. Then get to bed and in the morning, you can come on patrol with me before I head in to work."

"Okay!" He stood and crossed to the guestroom. Pausing in the doorframe, The Kid turned and asked, "Clark, we've both had 'red-haired girls-next-door'. But… what other women have you dated? You didn't go strait from Lana to Lois, did you?"

Clark sighed. "Little brother, that is a _long_ conversation you're asking for."

"I just…" A pause for thought. "I just want to know how many you went through before you found 'the one'."

"You're asking for a number?"

A nod. "I guess. Since the actual conversation would be so 'long'."

"Don't worry about 'the one'." Clark shook his head. "If Lois were awake right now, she'd smack you and say there's no such thing as 'the one', there's just 'the one you're with' or 'the one for right now'. Don't agonize about finding someone to love you, learn to love yourself instead."

The Kid raised an eyebrow. "Did you just advise me to develop a narcissist complex?"

"No." Clark said flatly. "But as Ayn Rand once said, 'to say _I love you_, one must first know how to say _I_'."

He raised the other eyebrow. "You hate like Ayn Rand."

The older man shrugged. "I don't agree with her politics, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have her pearls of wisdom."

"Ya know, Lex really likes Ayn Rand."

"He's had his pearls of wisdom, too."

…

His morning patrol with Clark was rather uneventful by Metropolisian standards. There were no out-of-control robots, no genetically altered gorillas, no imps from the fifth detention popping up to wreak havoc (although, that was due to happen some time next month), no marauding alien bounty-hunters, no alien queens looking to kidnap a mate, no time traveling hero legion stopping by to say 'hey', etc. The most that happened was that he rescued a woman from getting run over.

She was just walking out of the Daily Planet building, of all places. Dark skinned and dark haired -and pissed-off to all high holy hell. Grumbling and snarling to herself about how she was not 'still in school' and how Perry White didn't know just what talent he had turned away. Yeah. Sure.

So distracted was she, that the woman failed to notice the light had changed and ended-up walking strait out into traffic.

Enter Superboy.

Grabbing a flagpole that jutted out from the side of the building, he changed direction mid-jump and instead of pass by, landed right in the middle of the crosswalk, gathered her in his arms, and jumped to the opposite sidewalk to the accompaniment of honking horns and screeching tires. He heard no crash, though, and when the Superboy looked back the worst he saw were a few drivers shooting him the finger while shouting profanities and derogatory terms for metas.

"You saved me!" The woman beamed at him with appreciation.

He let go of her and gave a shrug. "I do that."

"I'm Tana." She extended her hand. "Tana Moon."

"Superboy." He did not shake.

"I figured it'd be something like that." A coy smile. "The shirt's kinda a give away."

He didn't know what to say to that, if it were Dick or Wally they'd probably have some witty comeback about the shirt being the Tell and not his powers or whatever. But wit was not one of Superboy's strong suits, so he said, "Well, Ms. Moon, try to be more careful when crossing the street from now on."

And then he was gone.

Clark had already changed from his Superman uniform into his 'mild-mannered reporter' guise when the Kid landed on the Planet's roof.

"Not bad." He adjusted his fedora hat.

"I'm surprised you didn't get that one, practically happening on the Planet's door-step and all."

"You were perfectly capable of handling it by yourself." He opened the roof-access door. "Besides, Superman can't be hanging out at the Daily Planet _all_ the time."

He gave the Kid a wink and then disappeared into the building. The Superboy heaved a sigh and opened up a maintenance hatch on the underside of the large globe that crowned the Planet building. He crawled inside the hollow sphere and said, "Superboy : B-04."

"Recognized." The computerized voice answered back.

…

The subject of their break-up became a source of many awkward silences within the Team for some time. Even after M'gann had apparently moved on and began dating La'gaan, the Lagoon Boy. Superboy tried his best to ignore them and not think about it. He was trying Clark's suggestion of figuring out who he was by himself and not half of a couple.

He asked to be called 'Kon-El' or just 'Kon' rather than 'Conner'. He was aware M'gann probably saw this as a snub, but she had given him the name in her early attempts to emulate the main character from 'Hello, Megan!'. In light of their break-up and his personal project of 'self-discovery', he had started to feel like _another_ cheap imitation every time someone called him 'Conner'.

Now the only people who still called him that were Gar, whom had gotten so used to the name he couldn't imagine him as 'Kon', and M'gann herself. Fine. She had given it to him in the first place. He viewed that small detail in the same way he viewed himself continuing to call Sphere 'Sphere' even after Wally had renamed her the 'Super-Cycle'.

Before he knew it, a year had already past.

…

When Clark left with the other Leaguers for planet Rimbor, Kon threw himself into his work. Trying to figure out the origin of the alien bomb. Discern their connection to the Light and/or Intergang. Learn their motives… the usual.

But he also made sure to keep tabs on Metropolis. With its Superman gone the city did need a bit of a baby-sitter. The Special Crimes Unit of the Metro PD was great and all, he had a high respect for Captain Sawyer and Detective Turpin who headed the SCU, but they were both ordinary humans leading squads of yet more ordinary humans. Highly trained and well equipped humans, yes. But they were just as breakable or squishable as the average Joe on the street. So, Kon made a point of dropping into Metropolis at least once a week to see how things were going.

He'd have lunch with Lois. Swing by the SCU main office and say 'Hi' to Dan and Maggie. Then spend anywhere from a few hours to an entire weekend just wandering around the city. It was during one of these weekend-long trips that it happened.

It was early morning and he was watching the sunrise from atop one of the support pillars of the Hobsneck Bridge –Lois having kicked him out of the apartment for being a '…_morning person!_' Lois was the only person Kon knew who could make 'morning person' sound like '_obnoxious bastard'_. (But then again, Batman was the only person he knew that could make 'Superman' sound like '_dumbass_'. What great family and friends Clark had –Kon could just _feel_ the love!)

So, he had left out the window (_not_ because he was being forcibly pushed by an irate woman in a night-shirt and Clark's boxers), and gone searching for a place to grab an apple fritter and watch the sun come up. He'd gotten his fritter at Bebbo's, then hopped on over to the bridge to watch the sunrise over the water. As the bottom of Sol's golden corona was clearing the horizon that his serine morning was shattered by the sound of revved engines, police sirens and the foreboding screech of tires –then, the high _tump tump tump_ of a news copter.

Kon didn't have to look down to know what was going on, but sure enough, when he turned his attention to the bridge below he saw a car-chase that might have been high-speed, but the driver of the perpetrating car had made an idiot mistake by turning onto the bridge as the traffic bottlenecked, becoming slower and denser. The driver had slammed on his breaks (hence the ominous screech) and was now coasting with no control over his vehicle –leaving bold black looping tire-tracks as he did.

The news copter, a Galaxy Communications copter to be more precise, ducked in low to get a better shot of the inevitable crash and possible disaster –all the better for ratings, no doubt.

Then, a highly improbably thing occurred. The speeding car was flipped over the shoulder, went tumbling through the air and struck the tail of the news copter.

The Superboy didn't take the time to reflect that such a feat could only be physically possible in comic books, he just acted. One car, one helicopter. Driver, pilot, cameraman, and maybe a news anchor. Three to four possible victims, two vehicles, both airborne (at the moment) but falling fast. _And, remember, you can't fly_.

He jumped for the car first. The door came off the side like cotton-candy off its paper stick and he pulled the hysterical man from his seat, tearing the seatbelt in his rush. From the car he air-jumped to the chopper, managing to hook one hand on its foot. Again, he did not pause to reflect on the improbability of such a feat. With his other arm he lifted the driver in to its open side, shouting to the cameraman and anchor inside to 'Hold him!' Superboy managed to get a grip of the copter's other foot just as they all hit the water.

He kicked madly with his feet, trying to keep the helicopter (or at least most of it) above the surface while he swam to the nearest riverbank.

Everyone was water-logged by the time they got there, but they were alive. The camera and whatever video real it had taken was ruined, but that wasn't Kon's problem. The driver was cuffed, read his Miranda rights and carted off. Then, the news anchor had the cheek to ask _him_ for a statement.

"Superboy! Tana Moon, GBS."

"I know. I have an edict memory." He said, taking in her soaking wet skirt and blazer, ripped stockings, one missing shoe, tossed and tangled dark hair, but bright and shining _keen_ eyes. She somehow managed to look both a disheveled mess and yet utterly radiant all at once. The contradicting impressions gave him an odd feeling.

"Great! Do you have a statement?"

He did not answer. At least, he didn't answer _her_. Kon instead walked up to the helicopter pilot and said, "It's generally considered a good idea that, when you see the heroes going one way, you're supposed to go in the opposite direction. _Not_ directly into the danger!"

The pilot just stared at him.

Tana said, "But we didn't even see you!"

Superboy looked back to her. "I was referring to the police."

…

When he returned to the Cave later that afternoon, it was to find Tim grinning like an idiot and Mal with a smirk that said, 'We know your secret.' Only, he had no secrets (at least, none that weren't already common knowledge to the Team). So, it was with confusion that he crossed his arms over his chest, lifted his eyebrows and asked, "What?"

Tim only shrugged and, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose said, "Nothing."

"Nice work at the bridge today." Mal said in that tone people use when they say one thing but are really talking about something completely different.

"Thank you?" Had he missed something?

There was a pregnant pause as if they expected him to say something more, but he had no idea what they were actually talking about or what they wanted from him. After the pause stretched into a silence in which they did nothing more than stare at him expectantly he decided it was time walk away.

"Okay, fine." The little Robin said behind him. "_Don't_ tell us about how you got yourself an Intrepid Reporter of your very own. I see how it is."

He turned around. "What?"

With a sigh, Mal pulled up a holoscreen. It displayed a clip from the GBS morning news. Tana Moon stood on the bank of the West Metropolis River, right where he'd left her –still wet, but having somehow settled her hair (at least somewhat). She was giving a summary of the event as the actual footage had been ruined by the river and finished by saying that he, Superboy, was quoted in saying that the real heroes were the city's police.

Mal ended the clip. He grinned. "Kon, you getting a taste for chocolate?"

"What?" He still had absolutely _no_ idea what they were talking about. They were _clearly_ insinuating that there was some sort of 'romance' between himself and the young reporter from GBS, but he had absolutely no idea where they would get that idea. There certainly hadn't been anything in the clip they played for him to suggest as much.

"Tell us about her." Tim insisted. "You trying to get your own Lois Lane?"

"Ew! No!" Then, in a slightly more moderated tone, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

They stared at him skeptically for a few moments before remembering that it was _him_. The Superboy had never been very keen on subtext or subtlety. Robin replayed the last part of the clip, where she quoted him in saying that the police had been the heroes. That wasn't exactly what he had said. He was trying to reprimand the pilot for his idiocy, not praise the Metro PD for doing their jobs. None of that was even alluded to however. No, she presented his statement as if he were modestly trying to shrug off credit for his heroism and pass the recognition onto others. So, she was playing with the facts a little. That just meant her journalistic integrity was a little shifty.

When he still didn't see what Mal and Tim apparently saw they replayed the clip. They ended up making him watch it a grand total of six times before they finally gave up.

"That's it." Mal groaned. "This guy's to dense for anything to be going on."

…

Not long after that, Dick called him to personally reprimand him for being named on the news. Informed him that this was just gonna raise all sorts of questions about him, and (in semi-classical Batman paranoia) could risk exposing the whole Team. He had ended, however, by saying that if Kon was going to seek attention, doing it while both Superman and Batman were off planet and couldn't punish him was the best possible time.

…

Then Wally and Artemis called to congratulate him on getting over his break-up with M'gann. They made a point of commenting on how amusing it was that his new woman was _also_ a reporter.

He had to tell them, through teeth gritted with irritation, that there was nothing going on between himself and the young GBS anchor, that they had only met twice and that a year had elapsed between each meeting. He also made a point of reminding them that he was trying that whole 'discover yourself as an individual' thing and that entering into a new relationship would be counter-productive to this goal.

They had both snickered into the phone at that, as if they knew some great cosmic irony that he did not. Kon hung up on them, his patience spent. He leaned against the wall in his closet-like room and called-up a holoscreen. He replayed the news clip again, examining it critically for whatever it was that everyone else seemed to be seeing that he was –apparently- blind to.

He watched her give a narrative of events. Saw the corners of her mouth turn upwards in a suppressed smile when she mentioned 'Superboy'. Noted a slight coloring in her cheeks that could have easily been from the cold water or the wind rather than any sort of emotionally triggered flush. Heard a slight undertone of pride when she misquoted his comment about the heroes being the police. He saw it, yet didn't understand what was so significant. He _had_ saved her life after all. Smiling and blushing and speaking proudly about her rescuer were all perfectly normal and understandable. Everyone else was just being silly. Seeing something that wasn't there.

Kon closed the screen and leaned against his wall, intent on claiming his regular four hours of sleep before resuming work on the connection between the Light and the alien bomb, or hunting down any remaining Kroloteans that might be around.

But sleep did not come…

Instead, Kon kept thinking about the clip. It was beginning to bother him now. Not just because everyone else seemed intent to tease him about it, but because he still felt like there was something there he should have seen but didn't. It seemed so clear and obvious to everyone else, he was frustrated that he couldn't see it too. Dick had said it best a couple years ago, while he was still with M'gann, '_Ya know, Supey, for a guy with two different kind of vision, you're really blind.'_

He replayed the clip again. Then again… and again… and again, trying to take in and absorb every possible detail from the current of the river behind her to the single strand of wet midnight hair that seemed plastered to the java skin of her cheek. Finally, he had to conclude that it wasn't anything visual. Kon closed his eyes and replayed the clip yet again, this time only listening to the sound of her voice. Still, he could not see what was so significant. He had no idea why everyone was grinning and jeering as if they'd caught him making out with her in the Cave's broom closet.

…

It didn't hit him until the following morning.

It wasn't her suppressed smile or her subtle blush, or the sparkle of her dark eyes –although, all those things did contribute. It was her portrayal of him as a whole. She had made him seem selfless and modest, compassionate and sensitive to the other responders to the incident. In short, she made him sound better than he actually was –in general- she painted a picture of him as a better person. It was something he'd noticed in Lois' early writings about Clark one time when he'd been leafing through a scrapbook of her articles. Clark had said that was how he (any everyone else not living under rocks with their hands over their eyes) knew that Lois Lane of the Daily Planet had a thing for Superman from Krypton. What was the exact word Clark had used…? 'Smitten'?

Tana Moon of Galaxy Communications was smitten with Superboy.

…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own either Young Justice or its related characters. Such are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Intrepid Reporter

Chapter Two:

"Who does she think she is?"

"Who?" La'gaan asked in utter confusion at his girlfriend's spontaneous outburst.

They had been lounging on the couch in the Cave's common room. The TV was on, but neither had been watching, their attention focused, instead, on each other and the pleasure of lips pressed together, with hands caressing skin and scales. The prime-time program they'd been not watching had ended and the morning news began. Then M'gann had pulled away suddenly with her exclamation.

"That _tart_ from GBS!"

"You're thinking of another woman? While you're kissing me?" He leered at her suggestively. "That's kinda hot."

"La'gaan, I'm serious." She pulled away from him slightly. Not out of his arms, just enough so that he knew the make-out session was over. "Superboy still looks like he's sixteen, who does she think she is going after a sixteen-year-old boy? I'm sure there's some sort of taboo against it here on Earth!"

"Ya know, she doesn't look all that much older than him." The atlantian informed her. "But why does it bother you anyway? He's a big boy, he can take care of himself."

"Because- …He's a member of the Team. I worry about everyone!"

"Are you guys having an argument?"

Both heads turned to see Batgirl and Wonder Girl enter the common room.

"I gotta say, this is a first." Barbara flopped down in an empty chair, Cass leaned on the armrest.

"We weren't 'arguing'." M'gann insisted. "I was just commenting that that reporter from GBS is to old for Superboy and Lagoon Boy disagreed."

"Its really none of our business what he does or doesn't do in his personal life." Insisted La'gann. "Just like it's none of _his_ business what you and I do and don't do."

"I agree with La'gaan." Babs nodded. "Its Kon's personal life. Besides, Tim seems convinced that there's really nothing going on between them. Its all in your perception."

"Hang one, though." Cass crossed her arms over her chest. "I think M'gann's got a point. She's what? Twenty? Twenty-one? Kon's only _five_. She really _is_ to old for him. It's a little sick."

"See? Thank you!"

"He might only be five-years-old in actuality, but remember, he's got the knowledge and temperament of an adult. …Well, sometimes an adult, other times he can seem like a whiny teenaged emo-bitch. But _most_ of the time, he acts like an adult. So, looking at it from that point of view, I don't see a problem with it."

"But to her eyes he can't look older than a teenager." Cass continued to insist. "Don't you think there must be something wrong with a woman who goes after a guy who looks barely old enough to have reached the age of consent?"

"But the age of consent differs from state to state." La'gaan threw in. "I looked it up when I came to the surface. Here in Rhode Island its only sixteen, so, Superboy does look like he's reached the age of consent."

"See? So no big issue." Babs shrugged. "Besides, think about this for a sec: Kon's gonna look like he's sixteen for his whole life. That's gonna limit his options for dating dramatically. Basically, the only women who'll ever go for him would be teenaged girls like Cass here-"

"Hey!"

"-or middle-aged cougars. Tana Moon of GBS is still a bit young to fit the 'cougar' label, but, hey, to each their own. And if she gives Kon a chance at happiness, we –as his friends- should support them."

"I think he could do better." M'gann insisted.

"I agree!" Cass nodded.

The conversation might have continued. But Karen entered at that moment and commanded everyone's attention. "Alright, ladies, Nightwing's got a mission for us. So, lets suit-up and get ready for the briefing."

…

"So, Dick's sending a division of the Team to Bialya?" Lois asked as she pored two cups of coffee for herself and Kon. Steam wafted up between them in waves, filling the Lane-Kent apartment with the aroma of freshly brewed beans.

"Yeah." The Superboy took his mug, didn't bother with cream or sugar, and seemed not to notice the piping heat as he sipped it conservatively. "There's supposed to be something underground or some such. He's sending the girls to investigate."

"Does he think Bialya is connected to either the Kroloteans or the mysterious _other_ alien group lurking around?" She added two scoops of sugar and then a quarter-inch of cream, stirred and sipped.

"I don't know." Kon shrugged. "But Dick thought it needed serious investigation and Dick is Team leader." He gave a shrug.

"Any word on Clark and the rest of the Leaguers that went with him to Rimbor?" She had asked this question so casually, but it was a practiced sort of casualness, the kind of tone she usually only reserved for interviews. She missed Clark and was concerned for the outcome of his trial. She knew nothing of Rimborean laws or legal practices and had no idea what her husband was facing. Truth be told, neither did Kon-El.

"No news." He had to tell her soberly. Then, in an attempt to comfort, he added, "I miss him too."

"I know, Kid." She sighed. Then she shook her head and plastered a plastic smile over her face. "It sucks not having him around to wash the dishes and do the laundry."

"Right, 'cause that's all he was good for." Kon played along with her joke. "Not like he ever worked a day-job, paid half the bills and still found time for his hobby of _saving the world_."

They shared a slight chuckle then lapsed into a contemplative silence.

Kon liked Lois. He would never admit it out loud, but she was much better at being a big sister than Clark was at being a big brother. Of course, this could be due to the fact that she had previous big sister'ing experience with her own younger sister, Lucy. But Kon preferred to think it was because she wasn't afraid to baby you when you needed to be babied or bully you when you needed to be bullied (she also didn't hesitate to try pushing him out of windows when he was being any of the things that –in Lois speak- translated into 'obnoxious bastard'). She was also one of the only people who knew him that _hadn't_ yet asked about Tana Moon from GBS.

That struck him as odd, actually. Lois was almost always gun-ho to jump on any story that was in any way 'Super' related. She was not a gossip columnist, but still liked to be informed on what was being said about whom. If nothing else it would make an amusing anecdote for her to tell Clark when he got back. Then the two of them could double-team him with the teasing. Oh! The teasing! That was another thing that made Lois such a _wonderful_ big sister. ('Wonderful' here may be translated as 'obnoxious bastard'.) Thinking of it that way, Kon was rather glad she wasn't prying into the matter, as everyone else seemed to be. But at the same time, considering that it was _Lois_, this also scared the snot out of him.

So, he set down his coffee cup and said, "I'm surprised you haven't interrogated me about that GBS reporter yet."

She had set her lap-top up on the counter and had begun proof-reading an article before she emailed it to Perry. Lois did not look up at him when she answered. "No point."

"What? Really?" Not that he was disappointed or anything, on the contrary, Kon was rather relived that she didn't seem to care. But it was just such an un-Lois-like response.

"I already know _everything_ about it." She elaborated and only succeeded in confusing him even further. She corrected an annoyingly common typo, 'form' instead of 'from'; it wasn't nearly as obnoxious as 'lick' instead of 'like' but it still bothered her. After that she continued. "In fact, I probably know more about it than you and Miss Moon do at this juncture. Although… I would like to comment that you are _definitely_ Clark Kent's clone."

"What the hell? I didn't do anything! Why is everyone suddenly saying I got an Intrepid Reporter of 'my own' and commenting how much I take after Clark!"

"Really?" Lois said in her 'get real' voice. She saved the document she was working on and closed the computer. Meeting his eyes, she said, "Kid, pay attention. 'Cause I'm about to tell you your future. Are you ready?"

"Are you psychic now?" He laughed.

"In this instance, yes." She was dead serious. "Here's what's already happened. You've saved her life from a situation of her own making. If it wasn't from her own making then it was something that could have easily been avoided if someone had just acted smarter. Either way, it was just an innocent catastrophe. There was a little light flirting. You gave her the generic 'be more careful next time' line, which _she_ interpreted to mean that you _want_ there to be a 'next time' so that you have an excuse to get your arms around her again."

"What!" He sputtered into his coffee. "That is _not_ true!"

"I'm not saying that's what you meant to imply." She assured him. Lois knew well enough that Kon-El the Superboy was not adept enough to successfully execute even that basic a technique of subtlety. "I'm saying that's how she took it. You, in your innocents and naïveté, -traits you inherited from Clark, by the way- you didn't think anything of it and probably just leapt off to rescue a kitten off a tree or whatever the next crisis was that demanded some _super_-attention. She, on the other hand, thought to herself, 'Wow, what a handsome and heroic man. That's what a real man should be. I swear, one day, I'm going to find out who he really is and become Mrs. Superman."

Kon raised an eyebrow at the dreamy expression that came over her face as she spoke those last few lines. Reminiscing no, doubt. (She did miss Clark a lot.) "She's not you, Lois." He told her. "Not that I really have any right to comment, since I don't really know her myself. But I'm fairly certain you two are two different people."

"Hush, you." Lois took another sip of her coffee. "That's what's already happened. Now, your future. So long as Clark is off-planet, you're going to keep hanging around town, right? No need to answer, just nod along if I'm right. She's a TV anchor with a nose for news, a penchant for trouble, a willful independence rather like my own, and a very nice figure. –Don't look at me like that, I know you noticed. So long as you're in Metropolis and so long as she keeps being herself, you two are going to keep running into each other. She'll keep flirting. You'll keep dropping the 'next time' phrase. Then, at some point she'll make a move."

"What, like, you think she'd molest me or something?"

"Oh, god, no!" She did a spit-take into her coffee cup. "Well, actually, I don't know. I don't know her. I was thinking she'd probably just ask you what you did with your time when you're not being a hero –that's what I did with Clark- or, if she's bold enough, flat out ask you on a date."

"So, to avoid this scenario you're spinning, all I have to do is either A, leave Metropolis in the hands of the SCU. Or, B, make a point not to say 'next time' when rescuing headstrong female reporters from their own nosiness. Okay. Got it. Thanks."

Lois just shook her head. As Ayn Rand had once said, '_The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which (he) has decided not to see._'

…

The problem with reporters, whether they be journalists or TV anchors, was that they were always at the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, Kon-El had made a point to be in Metropolis this weekend, not to give Lois an update on the Team, but rather to oversee the transfer of a prisoner from Riker's Island, New York, to Stryker's Island, Metropolis. He wasn't a particularly big-time criminal (at least, not by the Superboy's standards), knowing his luck and this city, the guy would probably be exposed to stray wonderanium radiation (not a real thing), get struck by a stray bit of space debris, or suddenly find he was the 'Chosen One' (chosen for what?) while en-rout. –Because that was the sort of stuff that happened in Metropolis.

Kon found a perch on a freight crane that overlooked the whole bay. The Metro PD, in an uncharacteristic bout of foresight, had decided against loading the convict onto the boat at a commercial doc and so there were no surplus civilians –future victims- crowded around the designated doc. Just the police guard, the Stryker's security staff and, of course, an undulating tide of reporters. The Superboy noted that Perry White had sent Ron Troup for this story rather than Lois Lane. Good for him! Ron deserved more recognition at the Planet! (And it would be nice not to have to worry about Lois getting herself into trouble –because he knew she _would_.)

Then, he saw _her_ in the crowd. No, not Lois. She was covering some union strike for the teachers of the Metro Unified School District. No, it was Tana Moon the Superboy spied in the crowd. His excellent vision zeroing in on her without his conscious thought or even his permission. She had pulled her hair back with an orange plastic clip that matched the same shade as her blazer. Her java skin looked more caramel in the noon sun. Her lips had been painted a shade of red-wine and Kon suddenly decided that he liked her better without make-up. Then he quickly reminded himself that he didn't like her at all, with make-up or without, and _forcibly_ shifted his eyes to something else.

He probably should have kept his eyes on the scene, however. If he had, maybe he would have see the suspicious looking gentleman lurking in the crowd. He would have noticed him weaving his way through the sea of reporters to the front of the line. If he had used his infrared vision, he would have noted that the man's briefcase had a head signature almost the same as the human body temperature. …And, he would have seen this suspicious man, oh, let us call him the Technician for now, he would have seen the Technician slide this case to the convict as he passed.

By the time Superboy did return his attention to the scene –drawn by an exclamation of "Oh my god!" from the crowd- he saw the con pulling a metallic multi-armed vest from the case and donning it with minimal difficulty. Once it was on, however, its multiple robotic arms made quick work of his restraints –and the officers around him. Superboy didn't hesitate. He leapt down to the dock and landed directly in front of techno-vest wearing convict. He didn't say anything, just blocked that man's path.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Asked the con.

"What are you, slow?" Kon shot back. "Do you not know what this S on my chest means? Or do you just not watch the news? I'm Superman's weekend fill-in –Superboy."

"Superboy, huh." He jeered. "You can call me… _Sidearm_!"

Their battle took them all over the bay. Crashing through concrete jetties, old wooden docks, and container ports for loading freight. The Metro PD had called in the SCU at some point and Dan and Maggie played chasy-chasy with him and Sidearm as their battled raged around the bay. …And just behind the SCU was a contingent of reporters and news cameras, all clamoring to get a clear view of the action and at the front of the line, jogging briskly in a pair of birght orange wedge-heels was Tana Moon, dragging her camera man behind her like a reluctant lap-dog. Lois really had her pegged. A nose for news, a penchant for trouble, and a willful independence. Kon would have also added a certain disregard for personal safety to that list.

The battled ended when Superboy ripped enough of Sidearms multiple prosthetics off so as to render his techno-vest useless. He was carted off by the SCU. Kon looked at the cybernetic appendage he held in his hands and couldn't help but smile to himself, '_Souvenir_.'

He was pounced upon by reporters.

"You certainly _disarmed_ him!" Tana Moon pushed her way towards him, her dark eyes sparkling keenly, bright with excitement. "It was lucky you showed up as soon as you had. Did you know this was going to happen?"

A microphone was shoved under his chin. Kon looked down at her, eyes wide with enthusiasm, a slight smile pulling at her red-wine painted lips, the sun giving her java skin that appealing caramel hue. And she was so bold and fearless when trying to get her story –it was very Lois-esque. The Superboy suddenly realized there was a lump in his throat and he swallowed awkwardly.

"No…" He answered. "But I know Metropolis and things like this are bound to happen."

That slight smile of hers widened until she was beaming with admiration. "You showed great forethought in being here at the right time, then."

"I…"

He was cut off by another reporter, an anchor from WLEX. Kon detested WLEX, not just because it was owned by Lex Luthor, but also because… eh, no, he hated the channel because it was owned by Luthor, lets not kid ourselves. "Superboy! Superboy!" He said. "You called yourself 'Superman's weekend fill-in', where has Superman gone? Does his absence have anything to do with the alleged disappearances of other prominent Leaguers such as Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, the Hawks and-"

"I'm not a member of the League." Kon cut him off. "Questions like that would be better directed to Catherine Cobert. If you'll excuse me." He nodded curtly to the WLEX reporter, then gave a slightly more respectful nod to Tana. "Ms. Moon."

…And then leapt away.

…


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own either Young Justice or its related characters. Such are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Intrepid Reporter

Chapter Three:

Tana Moon had not always wanted to go into TV reporting. Her major had been in investigative journalism with a minor in ethnic studies. She wanted to write human-interest pieces that dealt with discrimination, the struggle of minorities, economic issues, displacement, etc. She wanted to do something _good_, something that helped people. She was driven. So driven, in fact, that what usually took most people four years of college to accomplish (or five years in some cases), she completed in only two.

So, fresh out of college, at the age of twenty, Tana Moon had moved from her one-room apartment in Honolulu, Hawaii to Metropolis, Delaware on the main land. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed she had gone strait to the Daily Planet building and applied for a job. She plunked her resume down on Perry White's desk, it was heavy with education and extracurricular activities but held no previous work experience and so, he had laughed at her, saying that she was 'still in school'. Perry _did_ offer her an assignment covering a local Bake-Off to prove herself, but Tana had taken the assignment as an insult.

She had worked her butt off for the past two years to cover _serious_ stories, not plain vanilla no sprinkles, family friendly, fluff pieces for little old ladies sitting at home with their cats. She knew her value as a reporter. And so, instead of taking Perry's assignment, Tana had stormed out of his office and stomped out of the Planet building all together –and right into traffic. It would have been the end of her, it _should_ have been the end of her, but she was saved.

There had been the loud, angry honking of horns, the screech of tires and, to late, she realized the light had changed before she even stepped out into the street. Tana had the sudden and glittering realization that she was about to become street-pizza when her vision was suddenly filled with a black and red T-shirt that sported the Superman shield, two strong arms were wrapped around her, one around her shoulders, the other under her knees and she was, quite _literally_, swept off her feet. It all happened so fast, she barely had time to process it all before her tall, dark rescuer set her back on her feet on the opposite sidewalk.

Heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, she had looked up into the in-human crystal-blue eyes of her rescuer. She had expected it to be Metropolis' resident hero, Superman. But it wasn't the Man of Steel that looked down at her. He looked _like_ Superman, but was much younger, only a few years younger than herself, actually. But his radiant blue eyes seemed to hold so much more experience than his age could have accumulated. Shaken, disoriented and confused, Tana spoke the only words that had seemed to make sense to her.

"You saved me."

Four years of college crammed into two, sleepless nights spent up finishing term papers, studying for finals, reading case studies, and analyzing social essays, and her first ever news report was three simple words: 'You. Saved. Me.' Congratulations, Tana! What a deep and critical report that was. So insightful! Not obvious in the least! Truly, you will go far in your chosen field.

And then his response, "I do that."

He did that. That was what he did. He –whoever he was- Superkid, Power Boy, Superlad, the Kryptonian Kid… something like that, he was a hero. Saving people was what he did. How deep. They were two of a kind. So eloquent and well spoken. A real talky pair. Then, in an attempt to regain some of her dignity, she extended her hand to shake.

"I'm Tana." She said. "Tana Moon."

He looked at her hand. His luminous blue eyes flicking downwards to study the appendage before his eyes snapped back up to her face. She didn't know anything about him, she didn't know if he had X-ray vision like Superman was supposed to have, but she felt like he was looking right through her. Seeing all her hopes and insecurities laid out before his crystal eyes. It was a highly dramatized and utterly ridiculous thought and she mentally kicked herself for even thinking it.

He never shook her hand, but he did reply, "Superboy."

"I figured it'd be something like that." She gave him what she hoped was an easy smile that didn't give away just how nervous she actually felt. Nearly being turned into steak tar-tar by a speeding car could do that to a person, but investigative reporters were supposed to play it cool and brush off such near-death experiences. Besides, she had thought his name would be something along those lines. It was true, not entirely bravado on her part. Then, she decided it might be better if she threw in a joke, so she added, "The shirt's kinda a give away."

The Superboy raised an eyebrow at her, as if he didn't really know what to say to that. Then after a prolonged pause, "Well, Ms. Moon, try to be more careful when crossing the street from now on."

And then she watched him leap into the air. Not fly, just jump really _really_ high. He became nothing more than a dark speck against the blue sky in her vision, but Tana was pretty sure he had landed on the roof of the Daily Planet building. What was it about the Daily Planet and the Supers? She gave a mental shrug, reminding herself that she had just been turned down for a job there and so would probably never know.

That had been one year ago.

Tana was now twenty-one and had landed an anchor job with Galaxy Communications. It had taken her the whole year to get that job, but it was a job and it was at least somewhat in her field. Looking back, she should have taken that Bake-Off assignment from Perry White. If she had, she probably would have been on the Daily Planet's salary by now. Instead she had turned her nose up at it. She had been fresh out of college and though she was God's Gift to Journalism. She had learned rather quickly that she was a nothing. Hind sight is always 20/20. Also, looking back, if she had somehow managed to convince the Superboy to come with her to GBS, she probably would have been handed a good position right off the bat instead of having to start off as a lowly intern. Ah, missed opportunities…

But not anymore. Now she was a somebody –sort of. She was an anchor for GBS with an early morning time-slot and made a point to always be available to fill in if another one of their anchor's called out. She was on TV. She was being seen. She was being heard. People were listening to her. So, it wasn't _exactly_ what she had majored in, this could still turn into a successful career in journalism.

If she could survive it, that is. Tana had been so sure she would die that morning at the Hobsneck Bridge. When the speeding car was flipped into the air and took out the news copter's tail. Then, he'd showed up again. Not Superman –the city hadn't really been seeing much of him lately. No, Superboy came to their rescue, all six-foot three of him, ebony hair tossed in the wind, muscles rippling, luminous crystal eyes brightened by the exercise. And was just _exercise_ to him. He threw the driver of the runaway car into their copter and carried them all to shore.

Superboy had pulled the driver of the perpetrating car out of the copter almost as soon as he set them down on the bank and handed him over to the Metro PD. While he was being read his Miranda rights, Tana had jumped out of the helicopter, leaving one of her shoes behind in the process, and pounced on the Superboy. This was her big score! To land an interview with a fresh new and young superhero could launch her career to a new level. She might become as big as Lois Lane!

"Superboy!" She had called. "Tana Moon, GBS."

He looked at her, fixing Tana with that crystal-blue stare and she was reminded of their first meeting a little over a year ago when he had fixed her with a similar glance and just like then she felt penetrated and exposed. It lasted less than a second, but in that second she was sure he had analyzed every inch of her.

"I know. I have an edict memory."

Admittedly, Tana had no idea what an 'edict memory' was, but… "Great!" He remembered her. "Do you have a statement?"

He didn't answers her question. Instead, the Superboy turned his penetrating crystal gaze to the news copter's pilot. He stalked to the man and said in a feral growl that sent shivers up her spine. "It's generally considered a good idea that, when you see the heroes going one way, you're supposed to go in the opposite direction. _Not_ directly into the danger!"

The words were a low rumble in his chest, Superboy had not raised his voice one octave and they rolled off his tongue with more frustration than anger. The unspoken message being, '_Don't make my job harder than it needs to be._' Tana was suddenly struck by just how serious he was compared to his predecessor. Superman was always smiling, looking light and easy going –giving comfort to those he helped. By contrast Superboy seemed more urgent, more driven, less happy go lucky and more 'let's get down to business'. That struck her as odd, considering that such an attitude was inconsistent with his apparent age.

Still, he couldn't go around intimidating her pilot like that. "But we didn't even see you!"

Superboy turned those intense crystal eyes to her and she made a conscious effort not to let her breath catch in her chest. "I was referring to the police."

_That_ gave her a moment's pause. He thought the heroes were the police, not himself. That was so… selflessly _modest_ of him. Here he was with all his powers and abilities, having just preformed an incredible feat that no normal human could even dream of doing without killing themselves in the process, and yet, he did not consider himself to be the hero, no. The heroes were the Metro PD. This time, her breath really did catch in her chest. Was it really possible for a man to be so unstintingly… _good_?

Then, a few days later, he subdued that new rouge at the bay, the one calling himself Sidearm. Superboy had appeared so quickly after the situation had turned bad, arriving long before the SCU did. She had asked him flat out if he knew it was going to happen before hand. He had turned those same crystal eyes at her and Tana wondered if she'd ever get used to his penetrating stare. Once again she was struck by the impression that he held more wisdom than his years should reflect when he said, "No… But I know Metropolis and things like this are bound to happen."

Tana couldn't help but smile at that. He didn't know anything was going to happen yet still made a point of being in the area just in case he was needed. "You showed great forethought in being here at the right time, then."

…

The GBS pundit G. Gordon Godfrey was on when Kon-El returned to the Cave that evening. Not, on the TV, its wide flat-screen was dark. But he heard the passionately venomous spewing of the man's words the moment he stepped out of the zetta-tube. It was the kind of one-sided putrescence in which words themselves became meaningless sounds, which transmitted nothing. The purpose of which was not to communicate, but to render any form of argument impossible. Kon followed the sound until he found the pundit program displayed on a holoscreen in the briefing room. Nightwing stood over it scowling.

"Hey, Dick." Said the Superboy to announce his presence. "What's he on about this time."

The Nightwing looked up at the Superboy, regarding him for a moment behind the white slits of his domino mask, then said, "I really wish you hadn't called yourself Superman's 'fill-in'." he said. "You might as well have said that you know more than you're letting on, and just confirmed what Godfrey's been wailing about this whole time –that the JLA's keeping secrets."

To illustrate this, Dick replayed the clip he had just been watching. G. Gordon Godfrey sat at his desk, one hand splayed over its surface half pushing him out of his chair as he leaned forward into he camera and fixed the audience with a pointed glare. "Some of you might have noticed the recent absences of certain members of the so-called 'Justice League'. Those of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, Hawkwoman and her husband Hawkman, and all the Green Lanterns. Today, Superman's substitute hero was questioned by reporters about said absences."

The screen then cut to footage of earlier that day. Of Superboy with a WLEX microphone shoved under his chin, in the lower right hand of the screen was a small disclaimer that raid 'Used with WLEX permission' –of course Lex would. In fact, Kon would not have been surprised with Godfrey and Luthor were somehow partners, rival channels be damned. "Questions like that would be better directed to Catherine Cobert. If you'll excuse me."

It then cut back to Godfey in his studio. "Look at that brush-off! What a great and fearless hero, to afraid to answer a simple question of where his boss has gone. Its clear that the Justice League knows more than they're sharing and it is this commentator's opinion that the public has a right to know! If-"

Dick cut the feed at that. They didn't need to hear another one of his rants. They were all the same. The Nightwing just looked at him.

"That wasn't all I said." Kon was quick to say. "I told them I wasn't a member of the League. That was the _first_ thing I said. They cut it out intentionally."

"Of course they did." Dick replied. The question of, '_Did you honestly expect them to do anything else?_' went unspoken.

Kon crossed his arms over his chest. "Tell me what you want, Dick. You know I'm no good with all this subtly and intrigue crap you Bats are so fond of."

"Catherine wants you to do a TV interview to fix what you said." He informed the Superboy flatly. "Something live that they can't cut up and take out of context."

Kon missed one… two… three beast before saying. "Is she insane? Has she met me? I'm more likely to screw things up even more. You know I can't talk to people."

Nightwing threw his arms up in exasperation. "Take it up with her then. You know I have better things to worry about with Batman gone then public relations."

That was true. With his mentor gone, Dick had stepped in to fill the void of, not only the dark stalker of the night that protected Gotham from the shadows, but he was also putting in hours at Wayne Enterprises helping Luscious Fox care for the company in Bruce Wayne's absence (Kon had forgotten what billionaire-playboy excuse they'd given to explain an absence of this kind). And all that was on top of the duties he already had as leader of the Team. Yes, Dick had a full plate of responsibilities to chew on without having to worry about a side dish of media backlash.

"Alright, Dick. I'll talk to Catherine about it."

…

Catherine Cobert arranged for a live studio interview with a non-partial GBS anchor. Galaxy Communications prided themselves on their 'fair and balanced' coverage and Gordon Godfrey had an obvious bias, no PR agent in the world could deny that and expect to be taken seriously. So, GBS had offer up one of their newest reporters, a woman whom had been with the station for only less than a year. They had chosen her because they thought her fresh young face and little notoriety would put the Justice League media correspondent at ease, while her youth and inexperience would make her easy for the station to manipulate.

Tana had jumped at the offer. A live studio interview with a high-profile client. It was the break she been waiting for. Then, when she learned that the person she would be interviewing was the Superboy it had taken every once of self-control she had not to whoop and cheer right there in Mr. Edge's office. She had gone home that day practically vibrating with excitement. She put on the title song to _Fame_ and danced around her apartment, indulging in a moment optimistic egotism.

Then the studio had emailed her the roster of questions she was supposed to ask him. Looking over that list Tana realized rather quickly that they weren't doing this interview in order to learn more about Superman's substitute, they were trying to entrap him –force him to play into the image that Gordon Godfrey was trying to paint of the Justice League and all superheroes for that matter. She had been so outraged that Tana had marched right back to GBS, Barged into Mr. Edge's office and asked him what the hell he thought he was doing. Whatever happened to 'fair and balanced' news? Where were his journalistic principals?

Edge had narrowed his eyes critically at her, not the least bit amused by her outburst. He had stood slowly, glaring at her from behind his desk, and informed the naïve little girl that this was a business, and there was no such thing as 'integrity' when it came to business. People didn't want the truth, they wanted entertainment and nothing was more entertaining than watching a hero be dragged down from on high and thrown into disgrace and if she valued her career and wanted to go anywhere in the industry, she'd do as she was told or be replaced.

Tana had gone home again, this time frustrated and angry.

She reviewed the interview prompts. She practiced asking the questions in the mirror. She saw his young chiseled face and intense crystal eyes blinking in confusion at her questions, then trying to answer only to fall into trap the studio had set for him. Superboy had saved her life twice, how could she do that to him? Tana braced her hands on the bathroom sink, glaring down at the drain. Throw her career down that drain for the sake of her integrity or throw her integrity down to further her career?

Unbidden, the memory of Perry White telling her she was still in school rose to the forefront of her mind. She had learned so much since then, but this was the first time in a year she felt like she had truly graduated from school.

…

The Superboy showed up late.

The studio had reserved an hour-long time slot for the interview. Twenty minuets of that had been spent waiting for the guy to even show up. More powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he couldn't seem to show up for a TV interview on time. When he did finally show up, he looked like hell.

Shirt torn slightly, missing one fingerless glove and he was covered from head to tow in… uh, slime. Lets go with 'slime'.

"Sorry." He said, when he walked don the set. Out of the corner of her eye, Tana saw Catherine Cobert's face fall into the palm of her hand. "STAR Labs had this… uh, this thing. With these pincers and- oh! You can read about it in the Planet tomorrow. So, you've got some questions for me."

He flopped down in the plush armchair across from Tana, coating in a layer of whatever it was he was covered in. The Superboy gave her his full attention, his luminous crystal eyes fixed on her own. Over his shoulder she saw her first question scroll across the teleprompter. She ignored it for the moment and instead said, without the slightest hint of a scathing tone, "I'm glad you were able to be here, Superboy."

"Me too!" He agreed. "I've learned vicariously that if you make reporters wait to long for interviews they tend to throw themselves out of windows or off roofs. I would hate for anyone here at GBS to develop the habit, Ms. Moon."

"Is that really how you see us?" She blinked at him, utterly taken aback.

The Superboy gave a casual shrug of his wide shoulders, the action causing a torn segment of his shirt to slide down his arm. "Admittedly, my pool of experience is rather small."

The teleprompter behind him flashed with a different question. "Is that what this is then?" She read. "Are you throwing a pity interview for the crazed media who are so hell-bent on getting your story that they'd risk suicide?"

To his credit, the Superboy did not get defensive. His air of casualness evaporated, however and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and asked _her_, "Is that how you see me?"

Tana ignored the teleprompter behind him and answered truthfully. "I don't know how to see you, Superboy." She met his crystal-blue stare with a dark-hazel one of her own, refusing to be unsettled by that inhuman shade of sapphire. "You bound around town and save people and stop people from hurting _other_ people and nobody can ever get more than a sentence out of you before you hop away and are just… _gone_! You say you're filling in for Superman and you wear his symbol, but who _are_ you?"

"I'm Superboy." He said this so innocently, not at all sarcastic or condescending –it made Tana want to believe him. That he was _Superboy_, that was all he was, nothing more, just what it says on the tin. No secret identity, no double life –everything that he was could be summarized in his name, in that one name 'Superboy'. His entire being devoted to that one job. Tana knew _she_ certainly didn't have that kind of work ethic. Nobody did. But he did.

Beneath her layer of caked-on TV make-up Tana could feel her cheeks flushing.

She cleared her throat. "Lets get back to business, shall we." She glanced back to the teleprompter behind him. "You said that you're Superman's fill-in, what is your exact relation to the Man of Steel?"

His eyes noticeably darkened at the question. Almost as if they had been lit by an internal light that had suddenly gone out. His voice was low and sober when he answered, "That is a _long_ explanation you're asking for, Ms. Moon."

A beat of silence between them.

Then, "The simplest way I can answer that is to tell I'm his adopted brother."

"Adopted?" Tana echoed in confusion. "But you look so much like him!"

"As I said, a long explanation."

"Then lets move on. Where has Superman gone?"

"I can't answer that." Superboy's voice was flat, even and without inflection. Less like someone discussing the absence of a relative and more like a soldier answering the inquiry of an officer.

"Why not?"

"Because its his business."

"Does his absence have anything to do with the absence of several other members of the Justice League?" As she continued to grill him, Tana found herself asking what she was doing. This man was a hero and here she was trying to manipulate him into saying something damning to either himself or the Justice League.

"I can't answer that."

"Do you _know_?" She asked flat out.

The Superboy once again fixed her with those crystal eyes, some of the light from earlier coming back into them. With a voice that was perfectly controlled he said, "No."

…And she knew he was lying. She had no rational proof of it. But in her gut, Tana knew that for the first time in this interview he had given her an answer that was not true. He was so calm and collected, his voice hadn't wavered, he made perfect eye-contact and yet… she just knew it wasn't true.

But instead of calling him out on it, she said, "So, asking you about it is pointless."

"Yes."

"Because you're not a member of the League."

"I've said as much before." He nodded. "Of course, Mr. Godfrey seemed to have cut that bit out of the footage he showed, so I understand the confusion."

Behind him the teleprompter's white text disappeared and was replaced with the cyan text that indicated someone from the production staff speaking to her. Tana was suddenly tempted to read what was being said out loud. But she did not. Instead she smiled.

"Well, Superboy, I think we're done here."

She reached out to shake his hand, noted that it was still covered in slime then withdrew her own.

He regarded her bemusedly. "I believe we still have ten minuets left in our stop, Ms. Moon. I'm sure those can't be all your questions."

Behind him the teleprompter continued to scream at her. "Alright then." She said, ignoring the screen. She was already good and fired and if she wasn't fired, then she would quit after this. Why not make the most of it? "What's your favorite color?"

…


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own either Young Justice or its related characters. Such are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Intrepid Reporter

Chapter Four:

Dick had given him a tired and disapproving look from behind his mask when Kon returned to the Cave that evening, but the Superboy didn't really care at that moment. He was more intent on a shower and a change of cloths. After that, the Nightwing could lecture him to his heart's content. When he got out of the shower, however, Dick had gone.

Kon sat down on the couch and turned the TV to static.

A few moments later he was pounced on by Maland Gar.

"So, you're favorite color is six-hundred and seventy-five nanometers." Said the Beast Boy. "What the hack does that even mean?"

He shifted his form into a bird and hopped up onto Kon's shoulder and began preening his still wet hair.

"Its red." Mal supplied. "I looked it up." Then to Kon, "Couldn't you have just said 'red'?"

Kon gave a shrug. "I was trying to be specific. There are only twenty-three words in the English language for the color 'red'. But I can see _thirty-five_ shades of 'red' before it turns noticeably orange or violet."

"Way to be a kryptonian cock-wag." Mal shook his head.

Gar stopped preening him, fluttered to the arm of the couch and changed back into a boy –or rather, a close facsimile of a boy. "But I thought your favorite color was green?"

"It was." Kon nodded. "But it changed. About a year ago. It was one of the first things I discovered about myself during my whole 'learn to be an individual' thing."

"Oh. _That_." Gar almost growled with a distinct note of disapproval. Kon-El's quest to discover himself had begun around the same time that he'd broken-up with M'gann and so Gar had come to associate the two in his mind. Kon couldn't fault the kid for it, there was a correlation between the break-up and his quest for self-discovery, but the Beast Boy had gotten that causation backwards.

"Yeah. That." The Superboy ruffled a hand through Gar's hair before turning his attention back to Mal. "Nightwing didn't say anything to me when I came in, did it go _that_ badly?"

"Donno, really. We were all watching it together and he just kept muttering that you warned him you suck at PR." Mal heaved a shrug. "Honestly, I think your reporter friend did more good than you did."

"I noticed that." Kon nodded. "Not that she was helping us, you know I can't tell subtle crap like that. But she kept ignoring that screen thing they had set-up behind me that told her what to say. I could read it reflected off her cornea. They fired her for it."

…

Tana heaved a sigh as she packed up her desk. Four years of college crammed into two, a year of internships, hard work and dedication and it was all undone in one thirty-minuet interview. Great job, Tana! We can see you're going far –really reaching for the stars!

Still, she couldn't help but feel a small measure of pride in the knowlage that she had stuck to her principals rather than allow herself to become a pawn in whatever political agenda Galaxy Communications was pushing. That one simple fact caused her to grin as she tossed the last of her personal effects into the copy-paper box provided for her. Tana's thoughts then turned to the ever-terrifying question of, _What happens now?_

Maybe she should move back home? There was to much double dealing and political intrigue here in Metropolis. Things had seemed so much simpler back in Hawaii, ya know, if you ignored the Silicon Dragons. She could get a job at KONA-TV. Be a local anchor there. Why not? She was born there, grew up there, went to school there. Why not spend the rest of her life there. On an island in the middle of nowhere with very few people…

…Eh… Lets put a pin in that. She liked the city –even with all its two-faced business men and hidden agendas. Maybe she could apply at WLEX? Or try the Planet again? Ha! Yeah right! Perry White would probably laugh at her twice as hard this time. Tana heaved a sigh. That could wait until tomorrow.

Tomorrow she would face the consequences of her decision. Tonight, she would go home, pore herself a drink and bask in the glow of the knowledge that she had done the right thing. If the media wanted to deface Superboy and every other hero under the sun, let them find someone else to do it –Gordon Godfrey was doing pretty dang well on his own- but she would have no part in it. There was _real_ news out there somewhere and _that_ was what she was interested in.

She thought of giving Mr. Edge one final parting remark before she left. Nothing to scathing or rude that might damage his comments about her to future employers, but just something so that he knew that while she had been fired, she regretted nothing.

Tana paused outside of his office. There was already someone there. It felt almost like they were arguing; only both were impossibly polite and soft-spoken. If one can argue in low polite tones then it was an art Tana had never learned. Curious, she slunk closer to the door, which had been left carelessly ajar.

"I told you, I should have handled it." Someone was saying. If she didn't know any better, Tana would have sworn that it was G. Gordon Godfrey. But she'd never heard Godfrey speak so tempered and softly. There was an almost hypnotic quality to it that made her want to listen and to _trust_ anything the speaker said. "The League's little pep-captain practically begs the station to interview Superman's sidekick and you give the job to an utterly green kid."

She didn't hear the anger in the voice, she just felt it through the words, and yet, Tana felt that if the speaker had been talking to her, she would not have reacted hostilely in the least. It was that strange hypnotic quality to the voice, it made her want to take everything said as gospel truth. If he told her to jump off a bridge, she would have done so gladly, safe in the knowledge that she had been ordered to do so.

Then she realized just what she was thinking!

Suddenly struck by the realization, Tana shook her head to clear it. It was the oddest feeling she'd ever experienced. But they must have been talking about her. What other 'utterly green' reporter had been handed an interview with Superman's sidekick? She shifted her box of things to one arm and leaned close to the wall to peer one eye through the crack in the door. She couldn't see Edge, but she knew he must be there. She _did_ see the blond head and strait shoulders of Gordon Godfrey's back.

The conversation must have progressed while she'd been daydreaming of jumping off things to please hypnotic voices because what they were saying now made no sense.

"You can tell those mysterious 'partners' of yours that I don't care how disappointed they are." Edge was saying. "I run my business how I see fit. Besides, it was a condition of the interview that you be nowhere near the set during filming."

"I had hoped to expose these so-called 'superheroes' to the _light_." Godfrey lamented. He said the word 'light' with an odd infraction. It made Tana think that he wasn't using its metaphorical meaning of revealing secrets, but rather talking about an actual thing. 'The Light' with a capital L, as apposed to just 'the light'.

She shifted her copy box again. Its contents making a distinctive shuffling noise and she winced at the sound.

"What was that?" Asked Godfrey.

_Time to go!_

Forget telling Edge off for being a bias prick more concerned with ratings than news. It was petty and not worth it. Something about the conversation she'd overheard had Tana's hair standing on end. It wasn't what was said, that had been much the same as what Edge had told her before the interview –tearing heroes down and the like. No, it was the _feeling_ of what she'd overheard that bothered her. As if there was some great and important subtext that she just didn't understand but that was very _very_ dangerous. Her fight or flight response kicked in and screamed at her to run, get away, get to safe ground.

So she did.

Tana was down the corridor and around the corner before Godfrey poked his head out the door to see who was out there. All he found was an empty hallway.

Tana paused at the elevator only long enough to push the button. But the moment her finger was withdrawn, she decided that it was taking to long and she went down the stairs instead. Twelve flights later she was outside hailing a cab. She didn't even realize that she still carried her copy-box of personal effects until she threw them down on the seat next to her as she dictated her home address. She would have left the box in the cab had the driver not called her back.

The elevator ride up to her apartment was slow agony. Tana leapt out before the doors had fully opened when it finally did stop on her floor. Her keys were already in her hand when she reached her door. The box from her desk was thrown on the couch the moment she entered and instantly forgotten. Tana booted up her computer, intending to transcribe everything she'd overheard. Something about the incident had unnerved her and she did not know what!

But the moment the monitor flared to life, she paused. No. Not the computer. Not a digital file. Not something that could hacked, stolen, or corrupted. Hard-copy. Paper. Pen. That was what she needed.

Tana pulled a sheet of paper from the printer and fished around in the desk for a pen, pencil, crayon –anything to write with. She found a gel pen and began to write, making notes on how each man had sounded when they said what, if any words had any particular emphasis or infraction that made them seem more important than they should have been within the context –such as 'light'. And, of course, her overall impression of the conversation. Tana made a special point to note just how hypnotic Godfrey was, that he could convince her to do anything.

In fact, Tana was pretty sure the only reason why she'd been able to shake it off was because he wasn't speaking directly to _her_.

Everything she could remember, she wrote down –as best as she _could_ remember.

She jumped at shadows for the entire rest of the night. Tana didn't know why she was so edgy, she couldn't even put a name to what it was that had sent her running in the first place. It was just a feeling. '_Its your imagination_.' She told herself. But that didn't stop her from sitting up in her living room until well past midnight as if waiting for something to happen. It didn't stop her from jumping to her feet, heart racing, gel pen clutched in her hand like a pen knife when the sound of engine backfire from a car down in the street below echoed through the otherwise silent night.

All night she stayed up, convinced that some boogieman was going to appear with a seductively hypnotic voice and ask her to jump off a roof if for no other reason than to prove to the world that superheroes couldn't save everyone.

…

One of the great things about being kryptonian was that your body stored solar energy more efficiently than any man-made battery or organic organism native to Earth. This meant that kryptonins living under a yellow sun didn't need to eat quite as much or as often as normal humans, they had longer endurance, and did not require anywhere near as much sleep as a normal human being. It was this last gift that had Kon-El crawling out of bed before the sunrise every morning. That's the way things were in the Cave, he was always last to go to sleep at night, and always first to rise in the morning.

It used to be a tad annoying –one year ago. But in the past months it had become immensely convenient. It saved the Boy of Steel the awkward tension of having breakfast with M'gann and La'gaan. True, it also meant that he was left to fend for his own breakfast, but that was another wonderful thing about kryptonians. They didn't need much food. So, an apple, a glass of juice and a few hours sitting out in direct sunlight and he was up, awake, fully charged and ready to start the day!

The morning sun was high over the horizon when Kon finally reentered he Cave. He found a chipper M'gann bustling around the kitchen in a frilly yellow apron… and _nothing else_, while La'gaan watched appreciatively from the island. Kon's mouth flattened into a single thin line of disapproval, not _just_ because he and the martian girl used to date.

He cleared his throat conspicuously. The two turned to face him, looking startled. M'gann's apron instantly morphed into a complete set of clothing that effectively covered everything from the knees up and the shoulders down.

Kon crossed his arms over his chest and glared reprimandingly at them. "Out of curiosity, what would you have done if it had been _Garfield_ who walked in on you instead of me?"

"Oh, come on." La'gaan said. "You know how the kid sleeps in late."

The Superboy fixed the Lagoon Boy with a pointed stare that said, '_I was talking to M'gann_.' and the atlantian hesitantly demurred under the glare. Then, to both of them, he said, "Just remember you're not the only ones who live here. Try and keep your escapades contained within the bedroom."

He left it at that. Crossing through the common area and down the corridor to his closet-like room. Kon threw a couple extra shirts and a pair of pants in an overnight bag and then was zetta'ing to Metropolis. He told himself it was because the city needed looking after in Superman's absence and not because he wanted to get away from M'gann and La'gaan and their weird kinks. He'd gone through it all with M'gann before, and after four years of their relationship and one year of celibacy he'd decided he was a 'plain vanilla no sprinkles' kind of guy (Wally's words, not his) –M'gann was the one who liked to experiment with different kinds of 'fun sex' (as if sex in and of itself wasn't fun?).

Lois had already left for work when he arrived at the apartment. Kon tossed his over-night bag in the guest room before heading back out himself. As he had tried to convince himself before leaving the Cave, the city needed to be baby-sat while Clark was away.

…

It had been early morning when Tana finally nodded off to sleep on her couch. But it was a fitful, uneasy sleep and she woke up a few hours later in the early afternoon. The sun was streaming in through her living room window, its rays casting horizontal golden streaks across her java skin. She climbed off the couch, massaging a pain in her stiff neck, and opened the blinds. Last night's fears seemed so silly now that it was day again and her apartment was filled with light.

Light…

She remembered the odd emphasis Godfrey had used when he said that one word the previous night. Tana picked up her transcript of what she'd overheard last night. She had been flustered and emotional when she'd written it and it was difficult to read her own handwriting, but there wasn't anything overtly sinister in what they had said. She didn't know why it affected her so strongly. It shouldn't have. Still, she was not one easily given over to nerves and panic –she had brushed off nearly dying in a helicopter accident for crying out loud! So, for whatever it was that had happened last night to have affected her so dramatically it must mean something. Someone should look into it.

But who?

The answer was so obvious she felt like an idiot for even having to ask in the first place: Superboy

Who better to look into something odd going on in Superman's town that Superman's 'weekend fill-in'? But how to get his attention? In Gotham, whenever the police needed to talk to the Batman they shined a giant light in the sky. Tana didn't have a giant spotlight. Besides, it was a bright afternoon, even if she did it wouldn't be seen.

But her apartment did have a wide flat roof and her neighbor's children had a lot of sidewalk chalk.

Several minuets and one very awkward conversation later, Tana Moon found herself drawing a giant S-shield over the tarred blacktop of her building's roof.

…

Kon was running Clark's usual circuit of the city when he saw a large drawing of the Crest of the House of El on a building roof, made out in what looked like brightly colored chalk. Curious, he landed.

…and froze the moment he saw that it was Tana Moon whom waited for him.

She rushed up to him the moment his booted feet touched down. Dark hair wind-whipped, yellow jacket open, white slacks flattened against her legs by the breeze. She gazed at him with hopeful… what was that? Relief? Kon didn't know. But suddenly he remembered a conversation he'd had with Lois only a few days before. So, when she began with, "Superboy, I-"

-He cut her off immediately. "I'm not gonna tell you what I do when I'm not hero'ing and I've no desire to go on a date."

She did a double take in sudden and apparent confusion. "What?"

"You're not gonna make a move on me?" He asked, suddenly feeling like an idiot, and maybe, just a little disappointed.

"Lord _no_!" She cried. "Why would you even- Ya know what, I don't want to know." Tana took a breath to compose herself before saying in earnest, "Superboy, I need your help."

Ah, help, that was something he was familiar with. That was something he could do. The Superboy crossed his arms over his chest and said with confidence, "Alright, what's the trouble?"

Here she hesitated, suddenly unsure. "I don't really know, exactly." Tana averted her eyes as she spoke. She knew just how –for lack of a better word- crazy she sounded and did not want to see those intense crystal eyes studying her while she recited what could only sound like a rant to a normal person. "I was fired after the interview yesterday. After I'd packed up my desk I went to Mr. Edge's office to give him one last parting barb, but he was in a meeting with Gordon Godfrey. They were talking about dragging down heroes and exposing them and stuff like that."

"That's the standard pollution Godfrey spews." Kon reminded her. "There's nothing new or special about that."

"I know." Tana nodded. "But, I donno, I guess you just had to have been there. It didn't _feel_ right. And Gordon used a weird infraction when he said the word 'light', like he was actually talking about something else, and it just seemed… I donno. I know how crazy I must sound right now and you probably think I'm wasting your time, but-"

"What did Godfrey say about the Light?" He cut her off.

"What?" She looked up to meet his stare. There was something behind that crystal-blue glow of his eyes. Almost like a soldier analyzing crucial intel, or a hunter on the trail of prey. Truth be told, it unnerved her.

"What did G. Gordon Godfrey say about the Light?" He asked again, voice calm and serious.

"Well, he didn't say anything _about_ light." Tana was quick to clarify. "He just said the word in a weird way." She fished in her pocket and pulled out the paper she'd written out the previous night. "As soon as I got home I wrote out everything I heard and my impressions and all that. I did it the moment I got home, while it was still fresh in my mind. Looking back, it was probably really silly of me, but something about it… scared me."

Kon raised an eyebrow at that. He knew the appropriate thing to do after a statement like that was to offer some form of comfort. But even after five years he was abysmally bad at it. So, instead of even trying, the Superboy took the offered paper and read. His eyes moved over the page quickly. He noted that the writing held the messy scrawl of hast or distress –well, she did say she had been scared. From the summary of events there wasn't anything overtly sinister, but then, Kon was also well aware that he had no skill when it came to reading between the lines and seeing things that were subtly concealed. Dick was really better suited to it than he was.

…And Tim, and Barbara, and Jason (may he rest in peace). In fact, all the bats seemed to have a natural talent for recognizing things that were utterly invisible to him. '_For a guy with two different types of vision, Supey, you can be incredibly blind_.'

He looked back up at Tana. "May I take this?"

"You think it's something?" She asked, equal parts hopeful and apprehensive. Apprehensive that she might have inadvertently stepped into something that was bigger than she could handle at this point in her career, and hopeful that he was taking her seriously to spite how utterly mental she must sound.

"Donno." He admitted. "Maybe."

"But you're going to investigate it."

"I don't know." Kon repeated. "Maybe." He folded the paper and placed it in his pocket. Well, that was it. Their business was concluded, he should say some parting words and then leave. Instead, Kon said, "I'll let you know how it turns out."

She perked up. "How will I get in contact with you?"

His mind instantly jumped to the sub-sonic signal watch Jimmy Olsen wore. '_No._' Kon told himself sternly. Not for a one-time case. He looked around them at the chalk-drawing of the Crest of El on the roof. "Yeah, a 'Super-Signal like this is a little impractical. Do you live here?"

"Yes." Tana answered awkwardly.

"Then I'll come to you when I know something."

…


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own either Young Justice or its related characters. Such are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Intrepid Reporter

Chapter Five:

Kon stood with growing impatience, his arms crossed over his chest, as he watched Nightwing read and reread the page he'd given him. The former Boy Wonder's domino mask made it impossible to see his eyes traveling over the page, but Kon could see his expressions shift ever so slightly as he read and the Superboy could hazard a guess as to where be was in the document based on his reactions. Also, that this must have been Dick's third go-over of the page.

Finally, sick of waiting –patience had never been one of his strong suits- Kon asked, "Well, what do you think? Do you think Godfrey might have any connection to the Light or is this just the hysterical over-analyzing of a woman angry for being fired?"

"Not sure." The Nightwing admitted. "But I might as well send someone to look into it. After all, 'a simple fire…'"

'…_lead them to Superboy_.' Yes, Kon knew. He was more than well aware of that. He had kinda been there at the time. It had become the Team's moto, 'A simple fire lead them to Superboy.' Over the years, it had just been shortened to 'A simple fire…' Kon wasn't sure if some of the newbies even knew the end of that saying. They probably thought it ended with something like '…can lead to a complicated blaze.' or '…doesn't seem dangerous until it burns down your house.' or whatever other fortune cookie proverb-like ending they thought was applicable. In the end it didn't matter what the saying actually was, the lesson that it taught was never to dismiss something just because it didn't _seem_ important at the time, or because it seemed small.

Robin, Beetle and Lagoon Boy had learned that for themselves not to long ago. Only their 'small fire' was a tool shed and their 'Superboy' the Krolotean's main zetta-base. Maybe the saying should be changed to fit with the younger crowd, 'A small shed could hide a large base.' That sounded alright. Adequately proverb'ish.

But he was allowing himself to stray off point. "If you're sending a Team to Metropolis, I'd like to be in on it. I've been city-sitting for Clark since he left and I wanna tell him I stayed vigilant when he gets back."

"Why, Supey, are you developing a bit of a territory complex?" Dick teased. It was widely spoken about (and by 'spoken' we, of course, mean muttered in hushed tones) that both Batman and Superman were fiercely territorial of their cities to the point of impracticality. Well, actually, Batman wasn't whispered about. His territorialness was discussed and debated in the open. Superman was the one they whispered about, only because it wasn't the sort of thing one would expect from a Boy Scout like him.

"Yes. The center cushion on the couch is _my spot_. Its got my but imprint in it, which is as good as writing my name on it." He rolled his eyes. "Dick, focus."

"Right, right." The Nightwing sighed casually. "A small squad should do. You, Wolf, Sphere and Robin. He's still in school right now. Not due to get here until some time around three. A night mission would be most practical and the sun doesn't set until six thirty. What are GBS's office hours? Nevermind, here's their site." –He called up a holo-screen- "I'd say… be back here for a mission briefing by seven. Until then, you've got free-time."

Dick made a 'shoo-shoo' motion with his hands.

Kon heaved a sigh at the casual dismissal, but it was Dick. He knew the former Boy Wonder really did take his job seriously. But, unlike his mentor, he refused to allow everything to seem like 'doom and gloom' and so, for the things that were small enough to let him get away with it, he gave a casual laid-back attitude to. 'Keeping thing light.' He called it. You do this job long enough and it starts to weigh you down. That's why you gotta keep it light.

"Oh! One more thing!" The Nightwing called him back. "Your reporter friend, is she anything like Lois?"

"She's not my reporter friend. She's not 'my' anything!" Kon was quick to respond before he had fully processed the question. "Why do you ask?"

"'Cause, this seems like the sort of thing that Lois would –after bringing it to Clark's attention- continue to investigate on her own, thereby placing herself in danger, thereby needing a rescue, thereby getting in the way of whatever investigation Clark might have been doing, thereby letting the bad guy get away, thereby-"

"I get it."

"So, you'll keep that reporter you know who's not '_your_ reporter friend' from getting in the way."

"Yes." He nodded. "And I'll probably have a much easier time with it than Clark does, because I can do something that he can't do."

"What's that?"

"I'm going to lie."

…

Tana was at her desk updating her resume when she heard a light tapping on her window. Curious as to what could be tapping on a fourteenth floor window, she pushed her chair back and crossed the room to open her blinds. None other than the Superboy stood perched on the fire escape outside.

She rushed to pull the window open.

"That didn't take long." She said. "So, what'd you find out?"

He climbed inside and said, "Its nothing."

"Nothing?" She echoed. Admittedly, that had been the answer she was expecting so Tana could not say it surprised her. But it had only been a few hours since she saw him last. How much serious checking could the Superboy have done in that time? Had he just decided that she was nothing more than a hysterical crazy-woman who's leads weren't even worth looking into? Probably. Heck, she sounded crazy to herself, of course she would sound crazy to a hero. "Okay, then. Thank you for at least checking. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

She held her hand out, expecting him to pass her back her paper.

The Superboy looked at her extended hand in confusion for a moment, as if he had no idea what she wanted. Then he took her hand in his and shook politely. "You're welcome. It was not trouble."

He turned to climb back out the window.

"Hang on a minuet!" She grabbed the back of his shirt. "That's it? 'Its nothing. No trouble. Good bye.' And I don't even get my paper back?"

He turned back around to face her. The Superboy looked her strait in the eyes with that unearthly crystal stare of his and said, "Yes. Nothing for you to worry about."

His voice was calm and even, his gaze never wavered, there were no 'tells' and yet somehow, just like she's known during the GBS interview, he was lying. The fact that there were no tells was the tell. She didn't know how she knew this, but it just seemed to fit. It was said that the Superman never told a lie, she never met him so she couldn't comment one way or another. But the Super_boy_ it seemed was an almost expert liar. The question then turned to 'Why was he lying?'

Was the Superboy working for… for Godfrey's 'mysterious partners' Edge had mentioned? Was he covering their tracks, throwing her off their trail and destroying evidence for them? What had she stumbled on? Something huge! There was a moment of panic when she realized it. But it was quickly superceded by the realization that this could be a career making story. Like hell was she gonna give this up! Superboy wanted her off the trail, well, she would just have to make sure he didn't find out. Do some investigating of her own. Find out whatever this was that was going on and blow it wide open!

Tana met his crystal gaze, glare for glare, and said, "Alright then. Thanks again."

He nodded and left.

…

Hours later found Kon standing in Edge's office at GBS, standing over Robin as he hacked the CEO's private files, and board out of his skull. This wasn't his type of mission. He much preferred the ones where they had to parachute in behind enemy lines, knock some heads together and then blast their way out. That was his thing. Not this sneaking around office buildings in the middle of a densely populated city to get information that may or may not even exist. This was really more of a Bat thing.

But it was in Metropolis, so that made it a Super thing and with Clark off-world at the moment, he was the only Super in Metropolis. That made it _his_ thing –as much as Kon was loath to admit it.

The Superboy was momentarily distracted from his mental ramblings, however, by the sound of rubber-soled sneakers creeping softly up the corridor towards the office they currently occupied. It was to late for the cleaning crew to still be in the building and even if it were a wayward custodian, they would not be creeping. Same thing with the security staff, they were supposed to be here so why would they skulk and slink? It had to be some third party. They were wearing normal sneakers by the sound of it, so another costumed vigilante or one of the enemy's operatives was out. A normal civilian that just happened to be trapped in the building over night? Feh. Yeah right!

"Hey, Rob, hang tight for a minuet." He said. "I hear something and am gonna check it out."

Without turning to look at him, Tim smirked as he said, "That always what the tough-guy says right before the axe-murderer get him."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing I'm invulnerable, then." The Superboy replied before slipping out the office door.

His own boots sounded loud to his ears as he strode down the corridor at a controlled pace. The source of the footsteps was just around the corner, he wanted to keep his own steps as quiet as possible so as not to spook away his quarry. Kon paused at the corner, flattening his back against the wall, he waited for the stranger to turn the corner… They didn't see him until the Superboy already had his arms around them.

"Got ya!"

In addition to the common sneakers, they wore simple blue jeans, gloves and a black sweatshirt with the hood up. Definitely not a professional. Neither a new vigilante or enemy operative. But the thing that surprised him was the high pitched and shrill yelp that escaped their lips when he grabbed them. Far to high an octave to be male, it was a woman. Kon pulled the back hood of the sweatshirt back to reveal none other than…

"Tana Moon!"

"Superboy!"

…

_Fine!_ Tana had decided. If the Superboy didn't want to help her, then that was just fine. If he was really on the take of a wide-spread conspiracy of some sort then just _fine_! She didn't need his help to investigate, she could do it on her own. It was what she went to college for in the first place. If he was really a bad guy pretending to be one of the good guys then she would expose him. Either way, there was a Pulitzer in it for her.

So, after night had fallen, Tana had pulled on a pair of old jeans –functional ones, not cute ones-, an old T-shirt and a black sweatshirt. In short, she dressed-up like and American ninja. Plus gloves to avoid leaving her fingerprints everywhere and good shoes for running in case she had to make a hasty get away.

Tana entered the building through the maintenance service entrance around back and took the stairs up –pausing every few flights to take a breather, going up these things was so much more taxing than going down them. Finally, she found herself in the executive suits, the floor Edge's office was one. She didn't know exactly what she'd find up here, if Edge had some extra security around his office at night or not, so she decided to play it safe and keep as quiet as she possibly could. Tana hadn't counted on a demi-kryptonian with super-hearing being within earshot. She didn't know she wasn't alone until she'd already been caught.

"Got ya!"

She let out a startled yelp that sounded louder and more hysterical to her ears than she felt it should have.

Her hood was yanked down and the Superboy blinked at her with those inhumane blue eyes of his that seemed to almost glow in the dimly lit corridor. "Tana Moon!"

"Superboy!" She replied. She _knew_ he was working for Edge! Whatever was going on, it was big and he was here as Edge's (or maybe Godfrey's) hired muscle and Mr. Fix it to make all their problems go away. When she broke this story it would make her career. If she survived to write it, that is. Tana was more than well aware that if he was one of the bad guys he could kill her easily and they'd never find the body.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded.

Refusing to show any fear to spite the very real danger she perceived herself to be in, the unemployed reporter crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him. "I might ask you the same question. 'Nothing', indeed."

"You really shouldn't be here, Ms. Moon." Did he cringe when he said that? Tana decided she didn't care.

"Don't you 'Ms. Moon' me!" She snapped. "You lied to me, right to my face! There's only one reason I can think of for that and that's that you're actually working for Edge, or Godrey, or maybe their 'mysterious partner'. Whatever it is, I intend to figure it out! …And there's nothing to can do to stop me, short of killing me!"

There. She'd said it. She'd called him out. Next move was his. She didn't stand a chance against him, but at least she could die with some backbone. Superboy raised a hand. She shut her eyes against the blow. The blow did not come. Instead she head of soft smack and opened her eyes again to find that the Superboy had smacked himself on the forehead instead. She just stood there, blinking at him.

"My god, you're as bad as Lois…" He groaned.

"What?" She only continued to stare. "'Lois'? As in Lane?" Then her mind reached a different conclusion. "Oh my gosh, you bastard! You took my information to another reporter! You sonofabitch!"

"What?"

Tana wriggled out of his arm and stomped towards Edge's office. "You are just unbelievable! I come to you with information for you to look into _as a super-hero_ and what do you do but take it strait to your mentor's pet-paparazzi! What, do you Supers have a 'deal' with her or something? Ass!"

Her hand closed around the knob to the office door and it was wrenched open roughly. "Lane! I don't care how many Pulitzers you have! If you think you can steal my story, you're got another thing co- You're not Lois Lane!"

Robin had bolted to his feet the moment someone whom was decidedly not Superboy entered the office. He perched on the desk, careful not to step on any vital equipments, a roninrang in one hand poised to strike. He did a double-take when he recognized the woman.

"And you're not a bad guy." He replied.

It was then that Superboy reentered the office looking harassed and exasperated. They both fixed him with their full attention, as if everything that was going wrong or could possible go wrong within the next few hours was all his fault.

"What the heck is going on!" They both demanded.

The Boy of Steel paused in the doorway. "Uh… Robin, meet Tana Moon. Ms. Moon, meet Robin, the Boy Wonder."

"I know who she is!" Robin snapped.

While Tana also snarled, "I know who he is!"

"Seriously, Supey, I thought you promised Nightwing you'd keep her away from this mission and out of trouble. What part of that did you not understand?" The young boy glared at his senior Teammate through the white-eyed slits of his mask. It was not exactly a bat-glare, but it was well on its way to becoming one –give it a couple more years…

"Hey, I tried!" The Superboy defended. "I told her it was nothing and that she shouldn't worry about it. I thought that would be enough to throw her off."

"_She_ is standing right here, ya know!" Tana snarled at both boys.

There was a beat of silence.

"Whatever." Robin shrugged. "I've got all the data 'Wing needs, so I'm heading back to base. You-" he jabbed a finger at the Boy of Steel "-are going to take your girl reporter home and then come strait back to base for a very strongly worded lecture."

The Boy Wonder crossed the room to the window, withdrawing from his belt a grappling gun. A few moments later he was gone.

Superboy turned to Tana. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uhm… did you drive here? Do I have to make sure you drive all the way home or can I just walk you to your car and trust that you'll keep yourself out of trouble?"

Tana shook her head. Something about all of this was very surreal. "Haven't got a car. I took a cab here."

Kon looked alarmed. "Then how'd you plan to get away? I mean, if you had to make a hasty escape, without a get away car… you wouldn't happen to have any secret super-speed of flight abilities, would you?"

"No."

He once again smacked himself in the forehead. "I take it back, you're not as bad as Lois. You're _worse_ than Lois!"

…

Kon deposited young Ms. Moon on her fire escape. "Now, can I trust you to stay out of trouble for the rest of the night? Or do I have to call Gangbuster, or Steel over to keep an eye on you?"

She glared at him reproachfully. "I don't need a baby-sitter, and I don't much care to be talked down to by a kid. You're what? Seventeen? Eighteen? You can't even buy beer! What gives you the right to order me around?"

She wasn't quite sure what kind of response she expected from the Superboy, but Tana most certainly did not expect him to reply with, "Really? You think I could pass for eighteen? That's _awesome_!" He tapped the communicator bud in his ear. "Hey, Nightwing, I can totally pass for eighteen! On my next civilian ID, I want my age to be eighteen, okay? …Yes, yes, I know. No rewards for negligent behavior. Okay. Got it. I'll be back at the base soon. Superboy out."

Tana just blinked in confusion.

"Well, Ms. Moon, I bet be going. Have a good night and stay out of trouble."

He turned to leave, but just as she had done earlier that day, Tana grabbed the back of his T-shirt before he could hop away. "Hold it! I think you own me an explanation. You lied to me earlier. You told me it was nothing, then when I decide to do some investigating of my own, I find you and Batman's side-kick doing your own investigation. 'Nothing', indeed! I think I'm entitled to know just what's going on."

Kon was about to reply with something along the lines of 'First of all, you're not entitled to anything…' But something in her eyes stopped him. Two hazel orbs glared at him with a kind of severe determination that reminded him a great deal of Lois. She wouldn't relent unless he told her what she wanted to know –or at least, a satisfying censored version of what she wanted to know. Damn it. Dick was going to kill him. The Superboy sighed and crawled all the way in through her window.

"I can't tell you everything." He said. "Think of it like the police, I can't talk about an on-going investigation. But… we –that is, me and a group of other heroes and side-kicks- think that Edge or Godfrey might be connected to a secret organization that's been giving us trouble for a while now."

"A secret organization?" She snorted. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds? C'mon, Superboy, I'm not an idiot."

"But it's the truth."

Tana just shook her head. "Sorry, but you've already lied to me once today."

"Alright, look, I'm sorry. Believe whatever you want. Just, please stay out of trouble."

"I make no promises." She told him.

"I suppose that's the best I could hope for." Sighed the Superboy. He climbed back out the window and jumped from the fire escape to the roof of the neighboring building and then from there off into the night. All he could think of while he made his way to the zetta-tube hidden in the Daily Planet's globe was just how much like Lois she really was and whether or not there might be some validity to everyone's comments about him getting an intrepid reporter 'of his very own'. After he was done getting chewed out by Dick he should talk to Lois again. He hadn't dropped the 'next time' phrase and she hadn't asked him what he does when he's not hero'ing. But they still seem to keep being pushed together.

It was almost like the universe were teasing him too.

…


End file.
